Suleiman the Magnificent: the empire at its height

Under Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire reached the height of its power, wealth and splendour. In a reign of nearly half a century¹ he pushed its borders deep into Europe and across the Mediterranean, shattered the kingdom of Hungary, and besieged Vienna itself. At home the West called him Magnificent; later Ottoman writers remembered him as Kanuni, the Lawgiver.

The march into Europe

Coming to the throne in 1520², Suleiman struck at once into Europe. He took the great fortress of Belgrade in 1521 and the island of Rhodes in 1522, clearing the way for a drive up the Danube² against the kingdom of Hungary, the shield of central Europe.

Ottoman miniature of a walled fortress with towers, flags and soldiers on its ramparts — The Ottoman capture of Belgrade in 1521, an Ottoman miniature in the Topkapı Palace Museum, Istanbul. Public domain

Mohacs and Vienna

In 1526, on the plain of Mohacs, Suleiman's guns and janissaries destroyed the Hungarian army in under two hours; its king died in the retreat and the kingdom lay open³. Three years later he carried the war to the walls of Vienna, but the city held and the onset of winter forced him back³, the first check to his advance.

Portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent — Suleiman the Magnificent, workshop of Titian. Public domain.

He carried the empire to its zenith, from Mohacs to the walls of Vienna.

The Lawgiver

Suleiman was more than a conqueror. He reformed and codified the empire's laws so thoroughly that Ottomans remembered him as Kanuni, the Lawgiver, and presided over a golden age of architecture, poetry and art, his capital adorned by the great architect Sinan⁴. His navy, under Barbarossa, made the Ottomans³ the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean.

The measure of the man

Suleiman died in 1566, an old man, on campaign in Hungary² at the siege of Szigetvar. He left the empire larger, richer and more admired than ever before or after; his reign is remembered as the Ottoman golden age.

Ottoman miniature showing the fortress of Szigetvár from above, surrounded by water and attacking troops — The siege of Szigetvár in 1566, half of a double miniature in a 16th-century Ottoman account of the campaign. Public domain

See his great victory at Mohacs, or meet the other great commanders of the Ottoman Empire.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Suleiman the Magnificent?

He was the Ottoman sultan (1494 to 1566) under whom the empire reached its height; he won at Mohacs, besieged Vienna, and reformed the law as Kanuni, the Lawgiver.

What is Suleiman the Magnificent famous for?

For leading the Ottoman Empire to its zenith: taking Belgrade and Rhodes, destroying Hungary at Mohacs in 1526, besieging Vienna, and codifying the empire's laws.

What happened at the Battle of Mohacs?

In 1526 Suleiman's army destroyed the Hungarian forces at Mohacs in under two hours; King Louis II died in the retreat, opening central Europe to the Ottomans.

Did Suleiman capture Vienna?

No. He besieged Vienna in 1529, but the city held and the coming of winter forced him to withdraw; it was the first real limit to his advance into Europe.

Why is Suleiman called the Lawgiver?

Later Ottoman writers called him 'Kanuni', the Lawgiver, for his thorough reform and codification of Ottoman law; the West knew him as the Magnificent for his power and splendour.

When did the Ottoman Empire reach its height?

Under Suleiman the Magnificent in the mid-16th century, when it was at the peak of its territory, wealth and cultural achievement.

Sources and notes

Numbered notes in the text point to the works below.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Süleyman the Magnificent” ↩

World History Encyclopedia (Oxford University Press), “Suleiman the Magnificent” ↩ a b c

Caroline Finkel, Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923 (John Murray, 2005). ↩ a b c

Halil İnalcık, The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1973). ↩

Wikipedia, “Suleiman the Magnificent, Wikipedia”